Make a Memory Wire Necklace from Rubber and Sterling Silver Orphan Beads

I don't love memory wire. We have a lot of the stuff around, because it just isn't my favorite beading material. I've tried to use memory wire because I have friends who really love it... but memory wire just is not one of my "go to" materials. With that said, memory wire is easy to work with and is a great material to use if you need a fast gift or an emergency "make in a few minutes" accessory to complete your outfit.

Memory wire bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

For this project, my daughter and I arranged some leftover sterling silver beads. We decided to highlight the beads using black rubber tubing to cover the remainder of the memory wire.

Materials
Sterling silver beads
Rubber tubing
Memory wire for necklace

Tools
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers

Step 1
Select the beads and use a plate or beadboard to design the pattern.

Step 2
Cut the memory wire to choker length using wire cutters designed especially for memory wire.  

Warning: do not use wire cutters used for wire wrapping or other jewelry making (and do not use your favorite wire cutters!) as the memory wire will dull and perhaps damage the wire cutters.

Step 3
Feed the sterling silver beads on the wire so the beads are centered.

Step 4
Cut the rubber tubing into two long pieces. Cut the tubing to the length needed to cover the remainder of the wire.

Step 5
Slide the rubber tubing onto the wire.

Step 6
Use round nose pliers to make a loop at each end of the wire to hold the rubber tubing in place.

Related Tutorials
Make Paper and Rubber Earrings

Further Reading
"Memory Wire Magic, 20 Ideas for Jewelry and Home Decorating"; Katie Hacker
Bead And Wire Jewelry Exposed: 50 Designer Projects Featuring Beadalon And Swarovski; Margot Potter, Katie Hacker, Fernando Dasilva; 2009.


Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: leftover craft materials
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make a Green Necklace for St. Patrick's Day from a Plastic Bottle

Before: empty bottle

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We decided to make a green necklace to wear today. We used the plastic recovered from an empty Garnier Fructise bottle. The plastic is a bright, cheery green perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Don't forget to wear green to keep from being pinched by a leprechaun!

Tools
Xacto knife or scissor
Self healing cutting mat
Automatic center punch

Drill and bit
Round nose pliers or wire looping pliers
Chain nose pliers

Gather your tools

Wire cutters
Steel block
Rawhide mallet
Wire rounder, needle file or cup bur (and flex shaft or rotary tool)

Materials
Garneir Fructis plastic bottle
18-gauge brass wire

Step 1

Cut the plastic charms

Remove the label from the bottle. Wash the empty plastic bottle. Cut the plastic into charms using scissors or an xacto knife on a self healing mat.

Step 2

Mark the plastic and drill hole

Mark the plastic charms with the automatic center punch and then drill holes in the plastic where marked.

Step 3
Use pliers to create the links from the 18-gauge wire. Cut the formed link from the wire spool and then file both ends of the formed link smooth using a wire rounder, needle file or cup bur and flex shaft or rotary tool. Repeat to create the needed number of links.

Step 4
Assemble the links and charms into a chain.

Hook and eye clasp by GeltDesigns.com

Step 5
Make the hook clasp and eye from the 18-gauge wire. Place the finding on a steel bench block and hammer with a raw hide mallet to harden the wire and protect the shape of the finding.

Step 6
Attach the finding to the chain.

Related Tutorials
Make a Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle

After: Necklace by GeltDesigns.

Make a Cuff Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle

Further Reading
"500 Plastic Jewelry Designs: A Groundbreaking Survey of A Modern Material (500 Series)"; Lark; 2009.

Day 116. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: plastic bottle
New Jewelry a Day.  

Drill Shells to Create a Beaded Shell Chain

Before: Shells

We've done it before, but we love taking shells we collected and turning them into jewelry. After sorting through our shell collection, we decided to take so large shells, drill the ends of shells and string the shells as if they were beads. We created a long chain of shells that can be worn as a single strand long or a double strand short necklace. The shell chain can also be wrapped multiple times around the arm and be worn as a bracelet.

Materials
Shells
Stringing materials 
G-S Hypo Cement or other glue

After: Shell Necklace by GeltDesigns.com

Tools
Bead board (optional)
Drill & micro drill bits (size 62)

Step 1
Arrange the shells on the bead board in the order desired.

Step 2
Submerge the shells in water and drill holes in each end. Tip: We like to use the plastic top of a Haagen Daaz ice cream container to hold the water when we drill shells.

Step 3
String the shells on the wire or stringing material in the set order.

Step 4
Finish the necklace by tying the stringing material in a knot and adding a drop of glue.

Warning: Be sure to allow the glue to cure overnight before wearing the necklace.

Related Tutorials
Make a Necklace from Shells

Further Reading
"Beaded Jewelry with Found Objects: Incorporate Anything from Buttons to Shells"; Carole Rodgers; 2004.
"Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making and Beading (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer)"; Chris Franchetti Michaels; 2007.
 "Jewelry Making & Beading For Dummies"; Heather Dismore, Tammy Powley

Day 109. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: shells
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make a Necklace from Plastic Bottle Caps

Before: Bottle cap

Bottle caps are the recycling cans gift to jewelry makers and upcyclers. Bottle caps are shaped ideally to be used as bezels or to be made into beads.

Today's project began as a collection Vintage Seltzer bottle caps. We kept the necklace plain because we liked the bright colors..... but the design is easily adapted by filling the inside of bottle caps with resin or polymer clay or embellishing the outside of the bottle caps with paint, ink or even stickers (as we did when we made our holiday inspired earrings in December 2010).

After: Bottle Cap Necklace by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
Bottle caps
18-gauge brass wire

Tools
Drill and bits
Round nose pliers 
Wire cutter
Needle files
Chain nose pliers
Steel bench block
Plastic mallet

Step 1

Drill bottle caps

Drill two holes in each bottle cap. The holes should be the same size and they should be directly across from each other.

Step 2

Feed wire through bottle cap

Feed a piece of 18-gauge brass wire through the holes drilled on both sides of the bottle cap. Make a loop on the end of the wire outside the bottle cap using round nose pliers. Make a second loop on the other side of the bottle cap. Cut the wire off the spool using a wire cutter. File the ends of the wire with a needle file until smooth.

Step 3
Repeat to create needed number of bottle caps. the number of bottle caps needed depends on the size of the bottle caps and the length of the necklace.

Attach the bottle cap links

Step 4
Attach the links using chain nose pliers.

Step 5
Feed the 18-gauge brass wire through the final drilled bottle cap in the chain. Make a very small loop at the end of the wire. Form the hook portion of the hook and eye clasp. Create a loop on the other side of the bottle cap as you did for the bottle cap links. Attach the hook to the last bottle cap.

Finished plastic bottle cap necklace

The ring on the end bottle cap serves as the eye.

Step 6
Place the hook of the clasp on the steel bench block. Hit the hook with the plastic mallet to harden the wire and allow the wire to retain its shape.

Related Tutorial
Make Chanukah Menorah Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps

Further Reading
"Fantastic Recycled Plastic: 30 Clever Creations to Spark Your Imagination"; David Edgar, Robin A. Edgar; 2009.


Day 103. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: bottle caps
New Jewelry a Day.